Blast rocks Turkish town near Syria, injures several

Several people, including one policeman, have been injured in a blast that targeted a police checkpoint in the southern Turkish town of Suruc near the country’s border with Syria.

According to local officials, explosives had been placed in a trash can near the checkpoint, on Friday.

Reports say a passenger car was also destroyed in the attack.

The cause of the blast remains unknown as an investigation is underway.

The town of Suruc is located about 10 kilometers north of the Syrian town Kobani, where Kurdish forces recently managed to force out ISIL militants and bring an end to a four-month siege by the terrorists.

This comes a day after Turkish security forces arrested 14 people en route to join ISIL Takfiri terrorists by crossing the border into Syria.

Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that some 500-700 Turkish nationals have so far joined the ISIL militants.

Turkey has long been under fire for its perceived reluctance to crack down on militants using its territory to travel into Syria.

The Takfiris, who control swathes of land in Syria and Iraq, have been carrying out horrific acts of violence such as public decapitations and crucifixions against all communities such as Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians.